The South African water management framework:
Lethabo power station as a case study
Sadie de Bod
Dissertation submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the
degree, Master of Engineering in Development and Management at the
Potchefstroom Campus of the North-West University, South Africa.
Supervisor: Prof JIJ FICK
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Acknowledgments
Special thank goes out to my supervisor, Prof. JIJ Fick. His supervision and guidance throughout the research and writing of the dissertation assisted me to progress and complete the dissertation adequately. The direction he gave is much appreciated. Thank also goes out to Mrs. Stoker who assisted me with all the time consuming administration related to the completion of my Master of Engineering.
Great deals of appreciation go to the contribution of specialists on the subject of the dissertation: Water Plant Chemical Engineer – Mr. Philip du Toit, Snr Technologist Engineer at Lethabo – Mr. Carl Woodhouse and Section Chemist at Lethabo – Mrs. Annalize Wentzel. Their assistance was a critical part of the case study analysis for this dissertation. The transparency of information from Eskom’s side also contributed greatly to the final product.
Finally I would like to thank my family, especially my parents, for their support and encouragement throughout the duration of the research and writing of the dissertation. My most grateful thank goes to my husband, Stefan Boersema, for his continuous and unwavering support towards the successful completion of my Master in Engineering.
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Abstract
South Africa is considered to be a water scarce country and it is estimated that by 2030 the water demand would have surpassed the water supply. There are therefore serious implications if all sectors of South Africa do not utilise natural water resources efficiently. The power generation sector is one of the more dominant water users, utilising more than 2 % of the available water resources. Since Eskom is guaranteed a 99.5 % water supply from the Department of Water Affairs, and they are planning to double their power generating capacity by 2030, accountability from Eskom’s side is required to ensure water is managed according to South African standards.
Water management strategies in South Africa are subject to location due to the variation of water availability and water quality in the different regions. This requires some areas to have more strict regulations than other areas, but the basic framework within which water is managed are based on the same policies and strategies. For example, dry cooling technologies were initially only designed for water scarce areas, but Eskom has committed to implement dry cooling technology at all new build power stations even though it is more expensive in terms of capital cost and maintenance.
For the purposes of this study water management is investigated by means of a top down approach starting on national legislative level, then on departmental executive level, then on power generation corporate level and finally on power generation business unit level. A case study on business unit level is conducted at Lethabo power station to determine what the contributory factors to high water consumption are and what actions are required to rectify these problems. The aim of this research is therefore to discover how and how well water management is performed at older Eskom Power Stations within the greater water management framework existing at corporate and national level in South Africa.
The strategic objectives of the power generation sector should include minimisation of the footprint of power generation on natural water resources by reducing water usage and implementing conservation strategies in order to make the power generation sector of South Africa a world leader in water management. With appropriate management, South African water resources can be utilised in such a way that it supports a healthy power generation industry as well as a growing population.
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Table of contents
Acknowledgments ... i
Abstract ... ii
Table of contents ... iii
List of abbreviations ... v
List of figures ... vi
List of tables ... vii
Chapter 1: Introduction ... 1
1.1 Problem statement ... 1
1.2 Aim ... 2
1.3 Objectives ... 2
1.4 Structure of the dissertation ... 3
Chapter 2: Literature Study ... 4
2.1 Water availability in South Africa ... 4
2.2 Power generation water usage ... 6
2.2.1 Fossil fuel power generation ... 8
2.3 Water quality ... 10
2.3.1 Water quality accounting ... 10
2.3.2 Power generation impact on water quality ... 10
2.4 Water management in South Africa ... 11
2.4.1 Eskom and water ... 11
2.4.2 Water Institute of Southern Africa ... 13
2.5 Other water management frameworks ... 15
2.5.1 An Australian water management framework ... 15
2.5.2 Urban water management ... 17
2.6 Comparison to the South African water management framework ... 18
Chapter 3: Water management in power generation within the South African water management framework ... 19
3.1 Requirements of a water management framework ... 20
3.1.1 Documentation ... 20
3.1.2 Governance ... 22
3.1.3 Information systems ... 23
3.1.4 Checklist for water management framework development ... 24
3.2 Overview of water management in power generation sector ... 25
3.2.1 Water management framework defined ... 25
3.2.2 Key considerations ... 26
3.2.3 Technical solutions to be integrated into framework ... 28
3.3 Water management framework for power generation ... 29
3.3.1 Water management on legislative level ... 30
3.3.2 Water management on executive level ... 31
3.3.3 Power generation water management on corporate level ... 33
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3.3.5 Implementation ... 38
Chapter 4: Case study – Lethabo power station ... 40
4.1 Background information... 40
4.1.1 Lethabo power station water usage ... 40
4.1.2 Environmental management ... 42
4.2 Lethabo water management ... 43
4.2.1 Lethabo water management structure ... 43
4.2.2 Lethabo water management policies and procedures ... 44
4.2.3 ZLED policy ... 44
4.2.4 Roles and responsibilities ... 45
4.2.5 Reporting on water consumption ... 46
4.2.6 Enforcing policies and procedures ... 46
4.2.7 Compliance with water licence ... 47
4.3 Lethabo water balance ... 48
4.3.1 Reduction in water to ash dump ... 49
4.3.2 Increasing the amount of mine water utilised ... 50
4.3.3 Potential reduction in specific water consumption ... 51
Chapter 5: Results and discussion ... 52
5.1 Operational perspective... 52
5.1.1 Factors contributing to high water consumption ... 52
5.1.2 Corrective action to reduce water consumption ... 53
5.2 Managerial perspective ... 53
5.2.1 Factors contributing to ineffective water management ... 53
5.2.2 Corrective actions required ... 54
Chapter 6: Conclusion and recommendations ... 55
6.1 Conclusion ... 55
6.2 Recommendations ... 56
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List of abbreviations
AGNWC Australian Government National Water Commission CMA Catchment management agency
CME Compliance, Monitoring & Enforcement CMS Catchment Management Strategies CW Cooling water
DWA Department of Water Affairs EFP Electric Feed Pump
EMS Environmental Management System GPE Generation Primary Energy department HOD Head of Department
IDP Integrated Development Plan
IWRM Integrated Water Resource Management KPI Key Performance Indicator
LTPH Long term plant health MAR Mean Annual Runoff
MCMPR Ministerial Council on Mineral and Petroleum Resources NEMA National Environmental Act
NETL National Energy Technology Laboratory NWQMS National Water Quality Management Strategy NWRS National Water Resource Strategy
PF Pulverised fuel
PSM Power Station Manager RO Reverse Osmosis SE System Engineer
SO Sent Out
UAW Unaccounted-for water
WBCSD World Business Council for Sustainable Development WMTT Water Management Task Team
WRG Water Research Group
WISA Water Institute of Southern Africa WMF Water Management Framework WTP Water treatment plant
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List of figures
Chapter 2:
Figure 2.1: Mean Annual Rainfall distribution in South Africa (RandWater, 2012). ... 4
Figure 2.2: The gap between existing supply and projected demand for water in 2030 (Eskom2, 2012). ... 5
Figure 2.3: Water usage in South Africa (Eskom2, 2012). ... 6
Figure 2.4: Eskom's specific water use indicators for 1994 to 2006 (Eskom1, 2011)... 7
Figure 2.5: Eskom historic and projected futuristic water usage (Eskom1, 2011). ... 7
Figure 2.6: Eskom water use compared to energy produced (WBCSD, 2007). ... 8
Figure 2.7: Coal fired power stations water performance 2012/13 (Eskom2, 2012). ... 9
Figure 2.8: A framework for the guidance of CMS (Pollard et al., 2007). ... 14
Figure 2.9: A framework that integrates all the main elements of water management (AGNWC, 2012). ... 16
Figure 2.10: Water management framework for urban areas in Australia (WAPC, 2008). ... 17
Chapter 3: Figure 3.1: Water management approach. ... 19
Figure 3.2: Main elements of water management ... 27
Figure 3.3: Water management authority for power generation in South Africa. ... 30
Figure 3.4: Basic power station water balance. ... 38
Chapter 4: Figure 4.1: Total water consumption between 28 October and 12 November 2012. ... 41
Figure 4.2: Eskom power station water usage for 2011/2012 compared to water usage targets (Eskom1, 2012). ... 41
Figure 4.3: Water management structure at Lethabo power station. ... 43
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List of tables
Chapter 3:
Table 3.1: Recommended Eskom water management documentation structure. ... 20 Table 3.2: Checklist for water management requirements. ... 24 Table 3.3: Water consumption for different power generating technologies (Azevedo et al., 2011). ... 35
Chapter 4:
Table 4.1: Lethabo data for period between 1 January 2010 and 31 December 2010 (Cramer, 2011). ... 49 Table 4.2: Calculation of consumption rate and cost saving for reduced water usage at ash plant based on 2010 water usage data. ... 50 Table 4.3: Calculation of cost saving for increased mine water recovery based on 2010 water usage. ... 51 Table 4.4: Summary of calculations. ... 51
